Love Is Never An Accident
by earthprincess4
Summary: Bella is an accident prone, want-to-be author working as a waitress while Edward is the new doctor in town and Bella's new neighbor. Even though Edward pursues Bella, she doesn't think she's good enough and she will just mess things up with him like she always does. Edward is determined to prove her wrong. Ficlet written for Christag banner's challenge. New update daily.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: If you've ever read any of my stories before you know I'm always up for a challenge. Well, that's what this story is. My wonderful banner maker posted a story idea on her blog and asked anyone willing to write a story using her plot bunny. I jumped. Originally I planned to write a one shot but I decided to challenge myself even further and try to do one of these ficlet things that have become quite popular in the fandom. A drabble would be literally impossible for me, so I'm going to try the ficlet thing. These chapters will be posted daily (I hope) and will probably be between 500 and 1000 words long. I'm not entirely sure where all I plan to go with this story but it should be fun and a challenge to figure it all out as I go. I hope everyone likes it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Acknowledgments: Thanks to AstonMartin823 for agreeing to beta this little story for me. Thanks to Christag_banner for offering the concept when she knows I can't resist a challenge.**

**Love Is Never An Accident**

"Will you calm down? It's just a cut," I whined to my good friend Alice while we sat in the emergency room waiting area. She was having a panic attack from seeing my head cut and bleed all over everything. I had a towel pressed up against my forehead, which was soaked in my blood. Seeing blood used to freak me out but not anymore. I'd gotten so used to seeing it pouring out of me from all the times I'd gotten hurt over the twenty-six years of my life. I guess Alice hadn't gotten used to it yet.

It's not like I intentionally set out to get hurt all the time. My parents told me I was accident prone. If there was a potential for an accident it would happen to me. When I was a toddler I was always falling or getting cut or burned. They used to joke how I was like the Martin Short character in that old movie "Pure Luck". I'd seen the movie once or twice growing up but I typically tried to avoid it to prevent the jokes. My parents loved to torture me with it.

"I've never seen that much blood come out of you before," Alice said with a worried tone. "Why did you try cleaning that mirror? You should know better."

I rolled my eyes and turned my head away. Even my best friend felt like she needed to protect me. She was right though. I should have known better. Alice and I were just finishing our shift at Rose's Diner when I stupidly decided I needed to clean the mirror tiles hanging above the fireplace. I was standing on a ladder wiping away all the smudges when suddenly one of the tiles from the top came loose and fell hitting my directly on the head, which inevitably cut my head open.

"I'll be fine," I insisted. "I've had worse injuries, you know?"

Alice sighed and shook her head like she was disappointed. "One of these days, Bella, I'm afraid you're going to get hurt so bad you won't be able to recover so easily."

"I've made it so far," I joked trying to lighten the mood. She rolled her eyes and me and clicked her tongue making me laugh.

"Bella," the nurse called from the door. I stood up and walked towards her.

"Hi, Angela," I greeted the nurse. She smiled and greeted me in the same pleasant voice as always. Not only does Angela know me well because I'm always coming to the ER but we also went to grade school, middle school, and high school together. Living in the small town of Forks, Washington you pretty much know everyone.

I followed Angela back to one of the curtained examining rooms with Alice right on my toes acting as if any minute I might fall over dead.

"So," Angela began while I sat down on the bed and she closed the curtain behind us. "What happened this time, Bella?"

"It's just a little cut," I explained. "I was cleaning some mirrors at the diner and one fell hitting me."

Angela carefully pulled the towel back from my head to have a look. She jotted a couple things down on my chart and asked a few questions about how I was feeling then took my vitals. I felt fine, but Alice insisted I go to the ER and have it looked at. I figured I'd need a few stitches and everything would be fine.

"The doctor will be right in, Bella. I'll see you later." Angela pulled the curtain back and left Alice and I alone. I took a deep breath preparing for Doctor Cullen's lecture about being more careful. I think he'd probably told me to be more careful at least a hundred times in my life. He'd taken care of all my cuts and bruises and breaks since I was just a baby.

"Are we still going into Seattle this weekend?" I asked Alice trying to start up a conversation not relating to my accident.

"Are you sure you'll be up to it?" she asked. "We can wait for another weekend."

"Alice, I'm fine. I want to get out of this town for the weekend. All we ever do anymore is work."

"If Doctor Cullen says you're okay to go then I guess we can still go," Alice answered. I clenched my teeth and glared at her. I wasn't an invalid who needed permission to breathe like she treated me.

Before I could say anything to her the curtain was pulled back and someone I didn't recognize walked in. He was tall and wore a white lab coat with green scrubs underneath. His head was down looking over my chart so all I could see was the top of his head, which was covered with copper colored hair falling all over the place. I quickly glanced over at Alice with a confused expression on my face. She shrugged her shoulders and gave me the same confused look.

"Miss Swan," he greeted. His head was still down looking over my chart when he said my name. He still had yet to look at me when he placed my chart down on the counter and started washing his hands. I wanted to know who this stranger about to examine me was. "What brings you in today?"

I didn't know who this person was but he was definitely not Doctor Cullen.

**Thanks for reading :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well I wasn't expecting that type of outcome with such a short chapter to begin with. Thank you everyone who added this story to your favorites and alerts and to those who left a review. I'm not great at replying to reviews since I have 5 kids to take care of and the little time I do have to myself I use to write. If there is ever something you REALLY want to ask or know please PM me and I will answer. I hope no one is disappointed after this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

"Where is Doctor Cullen?" I asked ignoring his question and sounding a little frightened. "I'd rather be seen by Doctor Cullen."

Finally, after minutes of trying to figure out who this guy was, he turned around and looked at me with a crooked smile. He looked like he was amused by my slight panic.

"I _am_ Doctor Cullen." he replied condescendingly. I gave him a puzzled look. He was not my Doctor Cullen. I had no idea who this guy was and why he was claiming to be Doctor Cullen. "Doctor Carlisle Cullen can't be at your beck and call, Isabella." I glared at him and clenched my jaw. Who did he think he was? "Carlisle filled me in on your _condition. _I'm surprised I haven't seen you in here sooner."

"What condition? And who the hell are you?" I asked angrily. I wasn't about to let some stranger I'd never met act like he knew me so well or pretend to be Doctor Cullen when I knew he wasn't.

"I'm Doctor Edward Cullen," he replied extending his hand towards me. I stared at his hand for a moment but didn't shake his hand. He laughed and sat down on the stool in front of me. He reached for the towel on my head but I jerked away. I didn't like this guy. I got a bad vibe about him. "Can I have a look at your injury?" I glanced over at Alice once again. She nodded her head as if she was giving me permission to be examined by this guy. I still didn't know anything about him or if he was even a doctor. For all I knew he could have been some stranger off the street who walked in and put on some scrubs to pretend to be a doctor and kill some innocent girl who didn't question him. He laughed and I got chills from hearing him laugh. It felt like he could hear my thoughts and knew exactly what I was thinking about him. "If you don't want me to examine you, it doesn't hurt me at all. You'll be the one who has to come back in a few days because you got an infection. Plus you'll probably have a big scar for the rest of your life." We stared at each other for a moment as if we were testing who would crack first. I sighed heavily and gave in, pulling the towel off my head for him to examine.

While he examined my head and cleaned off the dried blood, I took the time to examine him further. He was very good looking, with his strong jaw, long eye lashes and wide green eyes. Not to mention those pink plump lips, his soft stubbly face, and his broad shoulders. I wetted my lips involuntarily thinking about what he had hidden behind his lab coat. I pictured him with strong muscular arms and perfect pecks and six pack abs. My thoughts got away with me when I imagined running my fingers and then my tongue along those abs.

"Miss Swan?" Doctor Cullen's voice broke me from my dirty thoughts and brought me back to reality. There was no possible chance I would ever even be in his radar. Plain, accident prone Isabella Swan was not what any guy ever found appealing. I took a deep breath and looked up at him. When he looked at me with that slight, covert smile I could feel my face getting flushed. He still had that appearance like he could read my mind and the thought of him knowing what I was just thinking was extremely embarrassing.

"Yes, Doctor…" I couldn't bring myself to call him Doctor Cullen. He wasn't my Doctor Cullen.

"Cullen," he added. "Isabella, how would you rate your pain?"

"I don't know, maybe a three or four. It's really not that bad."

"Are you feeling light headed or queasy?"

"No," I answered. He continued to clean the wound and looking at it closely. It made me uneasy having him in such close proximity.

He leaned back and looked up at me. "You're going to need a couple stitches for sure but it looks like you still have a few small pieces of glass in the cut so I'll need to clean it out first. Then I'll stitch it up so you can't even notice you had a cut. We don't want any scars on that beautiful face of yours."

Butterflies filled my stomach when he stood and winked at me before heading out into the hallway. Why did this stranger have such an effect on me?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This chapter is being posted rather late today. I'm on the west coast so technically for me it is still within the day. Today has been rather stressful since I just took in my cousin's four kids and they will be staying with me and my husband indefinitely. If you don't already know from my previous stories that means I now have nine kids all under the age of ten. Yeah, I'm still trying to get used to it. We'll see what tomorrow, next week or even next month bring. I will try to keep up on updates and still continue to work on my WIP stories but please understand if I can't update there is probably a very good reason or nine good reasons.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

"Holy shit!" Alice whispered but as exaggerated as she possibly could make it. "He's hot!"

I shrugged my shoulders trying to act as if I hadn't noticed. "He's alright. He seems a little arrogant."

"How?" she argued.

"I don't know. He just comes off that way."

Alice rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You think you can read people so well but you really can't."

I nodded my head feeling a little down by her comment. "Which is why I can't seem to get my book right," I said changing the subject. "I'm not good with reading other's emotions so I can't write them."

"You'll get it right someday," Alice encouraged.

"Maybe." I'd been working on writing a book for years and it really wasn't coming together like I wanted it to. I'd had a little success in getting short stories published in magazines but the novel I was working on was my real passion. I just didn't think I was ever going to get it finished.

"He seems like a nice guy and he's not from around here. Maybe you should go for him," Alice suggested.

"Are you kidding?" I said. "Why would someone like him want someone like me?"

"That's another part of your problem. You always think you aren't good enough. The correct wording would be why _wouldn't_ a guy like him want someone like you?"

"Are you sure you aren't the one who got hit in the head? You are definitely talking crazy."

Alice rolled her eyes and scoffed at my comment. "You never know, Bella. There has to be someone out there for you and maybe he's the lucky guy. It wouldn't hurt to try."

"You must have forgotten I'm very unlucky in every way possible including love."

Doctor Cullen walked in a couple minutes later with a tray of supplies, thankfully shutting Alice up for the time being. "Angela is busy with another patient so I'll have to handle this on my own," he said placing the tray on a rolling cart and pulling up the stool in front of me.

"I'm going to go down to the vending machine and get something to snack on," Alice announced. My heart jumped at the thought of being left alone with him. I pleaded with my eyes for her to stay. "Bella, do you want anything?"

"No," I said sharply. She smiled and gave me that overly sweet look.

"I'll be back."

Edward busied himself with preparing the tools he would need to clean the wound while I watched him.

"How do you know Carlisle?" I asked, breaking the silence.

He stopped for only a moment and looked up at me. "He's my uncle."

"Really?" I said skeptically. "He's never mentioned you before."

"Do you know every relative of your doctor?" he asked with a smirk on his face. "Don't you think that might be a little personal?"

"In this town you know everyone personally. I've known Carlisle and his wife on a personal level for years. Carlisle is good friends with my dad," I explained. "It just seems odd to me that they've never mentioned having a nephew or even that Doctor Cullen had a brother."

"I'm not surprised. I haven't talked to them or seen them since I was a little kid." His reply seemed odd to me. Why would you not talk to a relative for so long?

"Can I get you to lie down?" he asked. I did as he requested and turned my head towards him so he could get started at cleaning the cut on my head. He put on a pair of gloves and moved the stool to the top of the bed as close to my head as possible.

"I feel weird calling you Doctor Cullen. You aren't _my _Doctor Cullen," I said while he worked at cleaning out the glass in the cut with a pair of tweezers.

"You can just call me Edward if you want," he offered.

"I can't do that. How about Doctor Edward?" I suggested.

He chuckled and nodded his head. "Whatever works for you."

"What brought you to Forks?" I wondered. "Are you only here for a short time or are you staying permanently?"

"It looks like I'm here for good."

"Why do I get the impression you don't really want to be here for good?" I asked noticing the way he said _for good_ like it was a bad thing.

He chuckled again and leaned back to look in my eyes. "On the contrary, Isabella, I'm actually glad I'm here."

"Bella," I said.

"Excuse me?"

"I don't like being called Isabella. I go by Bella."

"My apologies, Bella."

He went back to working on the cut cleaning out all the glass then giving me a shot of something that made it a little numb and finishing off with a few stitches. Alice conveniently stayed gone the entire time. A few times I heard her laughing out in the hall and was quite certain she was chatting with Angela instead of being the supportive friend to me.

"Alright, you're all done," Edward said standing up and offering me a hand to help me into a sitting position. "I would like you to take it easy for a couple of days. If you have any pain you can take Ibuprofen or Tylenol. If you start to have any swelling around the cut or if you have any unusual pain, please come back in as soon as possible."

"I will. Thank you," I said standing from the bed a little too fast. I got a sudden rush of dizziness and stumbled forward. Edward caught me in his arms and held me up while I tried to regain my balance.

**Thanks for reading :)**

**FWI: As of right now I don't have any plans to do an EPOV in this story but you never know, in the future of this story it is possible.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

"Are you alright?" Edward asked, guiding me back down on the bed.

"I'm fine. I just got a little light headed from standing up so fast. I'll be fine."

"Why don't I get you something to drink," he offered. He left the room quickly and within seconds Alice came rushing in looking frantic.

"What happened? Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine. I just stood up to fast and got a little dizzy," I answered.

She let out a sigh of relief and sat down next to me. "I thought something had happened to you. Doctor Cullen went rushing out of here so fast with a look of fear across his face." I giggled at Alice's over exaggeration of everything while she took the seat next to me.

Edward walked in a couple minutes later with a cup of apple juice and a little package of graham crackers. He handed them to me and said something about how I probably had low blood sugar or something.

After an hour of sitting in the room and Edward checking in on me periodically to make sure I was alright, I was finally given the okay to go home as long as I went home to rest. Alice drove me to my apartment and insisted on staying with me for the night. She called her husband, Jasper and told him what happened. Even he agreed she should stay with me. Alice made a frozen pizza and put in a chick flick for us to watch while I rested on the couch. We stayed up most of the night talking and watching movies. It was like a high school sleepover all over again. It'd been a long time since Alice and I had a girl's night. Eventually sleep overtook both of us and we slept until late in the day.

The next day Alice and I had vegged out on my couch and watched daytime soap operas while drinking coffee and eating muffins. Neither of us had to work that day so we weren't pressed for time. The bandage on my head was removed to get some air and begin its healing process. I was sure I'd have a nice scar once it was healed all the way. One more scar to match all the others.

Late in the afternoon, Alice decided she needed to head home and do a little around her house before her husband got home from work. I walked her down to her car still in my flannel "Kiss Me" pajamas and we talked for a couple minutes more. It was more like Alice telling me to be careful and be sure to clean the wound properly so it didn't get infected. She had taken place of my mother figure years before when my mom took off to "sow her wild oats". I always knew Renee was unhappy in Forks but I never thought the day I turned eighteen would be the day she would take off and leave me and dad behind. She did though, and now she's off living some great adventure travelling all over the world. Last I heard from her she was in Morocco or something like that. I only hear from her every couple of weeks, sometimes not even that soon. It was hard at first not having my mom around, especially when I was going through so many life changes of my own, but now I'm used to it. I barely think of my mom and definitely don't need her to take care of me anymore with Alice around to do it for her.

Just as we were saying our last goodbyes before Alice headed home, we heard a loud roar of a motor coming up the road.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Alice and I both turned our heads to find out what this strange noise coming up the road was because it was strange to both of us. Around the corner came a shiny red motorcycle with someone dressed in all black leather and a matching red helmet riding it. I was hypnotized by the roar of the motor and sparkling red paint. Alice and I watched as the motorcycle pulled into the parking lot of my apartment building and stopped a few feet away from us. Alice and I glanced at each other trying to understand who this stranger in our town was. No one I knew owned a motorcycle like this one. This was something special, something someone probably spent thousands of dollars on to make it look so perfect.

Glancing over at Alice, she shrugged her shoulders and gave me a confused look. We watched as the man turned off the engine and put down the kickstand before stepping off and removing his gloves. The helmet still remained on his head and all I wanted this man to do was remove it so I could find out who he was. Another glance over in Alice's direction told me she was thinking the same thing.

Neither of us noticed the moving truck that pulled in right behind the motorcycle until it blocked our view of the man on the motorcycle. We moved our heads to see around the side of the truck but still couldn't get a great look.

"Come on. This looks like someone who is moving in. Why don't we go introduce ourselves?" I suggested. Alice smiled and followed behind me as we walked over to the man in the helmet. He was just beginning to take it off when we reached him and in what seemed like slow motion a mess of bronze locks came spilling out around his face. My heart clenched, realizing who it was.

"Hi there, Alice. Hey, Bella," Carlisle Cullen greeted climbing down from the moving truck.

We looked up at him and smiled. "Hi, Doctor Cullen," we said in almost perfect sync. When we looked back at the man in front of us now holding his helmet in the nook of his arm, we could clearly see it was Doctor Edward Cullen. He jerked his head around when we said hi to Carlisle as if we were saying something to him. The issue with two Doctor Cullen's was going to be irritating.

"What are you doing here?" I asked in kind of a snooty tone.

He smirked and licked his lips before looking directly at me with his bright green eyes. "I'm moving in."

**Thanks for reading. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

"You're moving in here?" I asked in a shocked tone.

"There aren't any other apartment buildings in this town, unless you know of some I don't know of," he answered.

He walked over to his bike again and began to remove the leather jacket. I focused my attention on the motorcycle and saw the detail of a dragon sketched on the side with chrome mirrors and chrome wheels and handle bars. Is that what they're called on a motorcycle? I had no idea but it sounded right in my head. I heard Carlisle call Edward from around the back of the truck and my attention went up to Edward again. I sucked in a surprised breath when I noticed Edward had removed the leather jacket and now stood in front of me in nothing but a pair of jeans and a tight, grey t-shirt. On his arms were a couple tattoos I didn't notice when I was in the ER. I couldn't get a good enough look to see what they were though because he turned away from us and headed towards the back of the moving van where Carlisle was.

I listened as Carlisle and Edward talked about what needed to be unloaded first from the truck. I wanted to move closer to listen and find out exactly which apartment he was moving into, but I was suddenly reminded Alice still stood next to me when she yanked on my arm.

"I really need to get going," she reminded. I walked her back over to her car and gave her a hug goodbye.

"I'll see you tomorrow at work," I said.

"No, you'll call me later tonight to fill me in on your new neighbor," she argued. I laughed and rolled my eyes at her. She knew I would even if she didn't tell me to.

"I will," I promised as she started up her car and put it into reverse.

"Have fun with your new neighbor," she teased as she started to pull away. "And you might want to change into something a little more appropriate."

Her words hit me and my eyes quickly darted down to what I was wearing; my pink lettered "Kiss Me" flannels. Oh, God, I thought to myself. I was mortified and didn't know how I was going to get past Edward and Carlisle without either of them seeing me in my pajamas again.

I waited on the side of the truck until I could find a good time to dart towards my front door and sneak in. While I waited though, another car pulled up taking Alice's old parking spot.

"Hi, Bella. How are you?" Esme asked stepping out of the unfamiliar car.

"Hi, Esme," I greeted reluctantly. "I'm doing well. How are you?"

"Wonderful," she said elatedly. Both Carlisle and Edward came around to the side of the truck where Esme and I were.

"Did she give you any trouble?" Edward asked of Esme.

"No, she was perfectly fine the whole way," she said. I scrunched up my eyebrows and looked around to make sense of what they were talking about. Esme slid into the back seat of the car and pulled out a Siamese cat. She looked old and a little irritated with Esme holding her. Edward quickly walked over and took her from Esme to comfort her. Even being a few feet away from them, I could still hear the cat purring and snuggling into Edward's arms.

While Esme and Carlisle were focused on Edward and the cat, I took my chance to sneak away to avoid anymore embarrassment.

I was almost to my door when I heard my name. "Oh, Bella," Edward called out. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around to face him. All three of them were looking up at me with amused expressions. "I'm glad to see you're taking it easy after your accident last night." I smiled and nodded my head just as I placed my hand on my doorknob. "I really like your PJ's, too."

**Thanks for reading :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Extras long chapter tonight. It wasn't originally this long but when I went back to look it over before posting I felt like it needed more. That's what happens when I go back through; I'm never satisfied. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

Mortified!

That's how I felt after the comment Edward made about my pj's. It's one thing to know people are probably thinking crazy things about me but it's so much worse when they actually say it out loud. I could have gone on just pretending he never saw me in my pajamas. But now I felt like I could never face him again.

When I got in my apartment, I quickly ran to my shower and took the longest shower ever, then spent an hour straightening and styling my hair and putting makeup on, which is something I very rarely did, and then I put on the most stylish outfit I owned. I did all this for no apparent reason other than to feel better about myself. Edward's comment from earlier made me feel very self conscious.

I deliberately left the house even though I had nowhere to go just so he could see me all done up and just maybe have a different opinion of me than the silly woman who gets hurt all the time and lounges in her pajamas all day long.

I walked past the moving truck and a couple times I tripped over my own feet since I was wearing high heels, which is something I wear maybe twice a year. In the corner of my eye I could see him watching and even smirking. I pretended to ignore him while getting into my car and pulling out of my parking spot. I drove around for a little while until I ended up at my dad's house. He was lying on the couch watching baseball when I walked in. He glanced in my direction for a second, then did a double take and sat up. I plopped down in the chair across from him and put on my best pouty face.

"What's wrong?" my dad asked.

"Nothing," I answered.

"Why are you all dressed up yet look miserable? Were you stood up? Who was it and I'll go scare the shit out of him for you," he offered. I laughed at his suggestion but shook my head.

"I wasn't stood up. I just felt like getting dressed up."

He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to one side. "You got all dressed up just to come over to your dear old dad's house and mope in his chair?" Nothing got past my dad. That's the bad thing about being the daughter of a police officer. I could never get anything past him.

"I was just trying to… I don't know."

My dad chuckled under his breath and then couldn't hold it in any longer before he was busting up laughing. "Does this have anything to do with the new doctor in town?" he asked in between giggles.

"How do you do that?" I asked irritated by the way he always knew everything.

"It's a gift," he answered. "Now, what is all this business with you dressing up for the new doctor?"

"I wasn't dressing up for him. I just wanted him to see me without blood all over me or in my pajamas."

"I saw you had some new stitches. What happened?" he asked.

"I just got a small cut," I said waving it off as if it was no big deal.

"That's how I knew you had seen the doctor. I met him the other day and he seems like a nice guy. He's not a bad looking fella either. Although, being related to Doctor Cullen I can't imagine anyone in that family looking bad. They all look like models. I mentioned you to him. I told him I had a beautiful daughter he might be interested in."

"He rides a motorcycle," I blurted in an accusatory tone. If there was one thing my dad didn't like was people who ride motorcycles. He'd seen far too many accidents from motorcycles in his life and growing up all I ever heard was I better not ever get on the back of a motorcycle with anyone.

"Does he?" he asked. "Well, I hope I don't end up scraping the new doctor's brains off the highway."

"He wears a helmet," I said in a defensive way. One minute ago I was trying to make my dad not like him and now I'm defending him. What's wrong with me?

"So, you like this guy, don't you?" he asked with a wide smile and wink. He was never one for subtlety.

I rolled my eyes and looked at the blank TV in front of me. "No. I don't know. I don't think I do, I'm just kind of fascinated by him since he's new in town." He gave me a skeptical look like he thought I was lying. I didn't want to even admit to myself that I liked him. I barely knew him. I was attracted to him; who wouldn't be? But I still didn't know anything about him. He could very well be one of those killer doctors who move to small towns so he's not found. I was set on this possible killer thing with him just because he was so mysterious and that would be just my luck to fall for the serial killer doctor who lives below me. It was a lifetime movie in the making. "Even if I do, he'd never see me as anything other than a complete moron. I can't even walk up a flight of stairs without tripping."

"Yes, this is true, which still makes me wonder why you chose to have an upstairs apartment. But regardless of your tendency to get yourself in trouble you are beautiful and a fun person to spend time with. Any man would be a fool to not see that in you," he said.

I smiled knowing in my dad's eyes I was perfect yet no one else saw me that way. "I doubt anyone has ever seen me like you do. But it doesn't matter anyway. I'm not even going to bother because I'll end up ruining it anyway. It's what I'm good at." Every relationship I'd ever been in ended badly and I'm not about to attempt another with someone I barely know.

"That's a good thing," he commented. "I'd rather you stay a daddy's girl forever than get caught up with some man who rides a motorcycle." I laughed and walked over to give my dad a hug. My dad could always make me feel better when I was having a bad day.

On my way home, I stopped and picked up some Chinese food at the one and only Chinese restaurant in town. When I pulled into my parking spot, I looked over at the moving truck which still sat in front of Edward's apartment. No one was in sight at first but then it happened. Around the side of the apartment, Edward walked out wearing nothing but his jeans and tennis shoes. His shirt was off revealing quite a display of tattoos. I knew he had one on his arm when I saw it earlier, but now I could clearly see he had one on each bicep, one on his chest, and the ones on his forearms. When he turned around to carry another box up to the door, I even saw another, rather large tattoo on his back. He moved so fast I couldn't make any of them out except for the one on his back which looked like a dragon just like on his motorcycle.

I watched him lift a box and saw glistening droplets of sweat run down his toned back. I couldn't help but think one thing. What kind of a doctor looks this sexy? He had to be a killer.

**A/N: I know, she's a little crazy but with all the bad luck and mishaps she's had, she's weary of everything. Real question here. Does anyone want an EPOV in an upcoming chapter? I have gotten asked a few times if I plan to do one and originally I didn't plan on it; at least not yet. Should I make an exception so everyone can see what's going on in Edward's head?**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I guess it's a yes on the EPOV. In the next couple chapters there will be a small bit of Edward.** **Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters**.

I knew he probably wasn't really a killer, but seriously, I've never seen any doctor look like him. Tattoos, perfect body, handsome face, smile to die for, amazing green eyes. The list could go on forever. Where did he come from?

After sitting in a daze while watching him go back and forth from the truck to his apartment, I was suddenly startled by my phone ringing. I jumped and screeched when I heard it. I quickly grabbed it and answered the phone call from Alice.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm currently watching my neighbor unpack his stuff with his shirt off," I answered. She started to giggle at me.

"Bella, just go talk to him and even offer to make him dinner tonight."

"Are you crazy? I can't offer to cook for him. I'd end up burning it and then he'd really think I was a moron."

"Fine, offer to buy dinner and bring it over to his place," she suggested. "I'm sure after unpacking all day he'd appreciate the offer."

"I already picked up Chinese for myself," I explained.

"Share, Bella. You never finish it all anyway."

"I don't know. Maybe I should leave him alone on his first night here. He's probably exhausted and wouldn't want someone hanging around."

I could almost hear Alice's eyes rolling through the phone. She always had so much confidence in me when in reality I had absolutely none. "Just do it. I'd kind of like to know what your neighbor is like also. When I call back later tonight I better get all the juicy details."

"There won't be any juicy details. I'm kind of tired and will probably just go home to relax."

"You are such a..."

"Loser, I know," I interrupted and finished off the sentence.

"That's not what I was going to say."

"Yes but it's what you were thinking."

"No, it's not what I was thinking at all. I was going to say you are such a party pooper. I'm getting just as much entertainment out of this as everyone else watching."

"Everyone else watching?" I repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"I ran into Angela today at the store and she told me after you left yesterday the new Doctor Cullen kept asking everyone questions about you. He wanted to know how often you came in with a new ailment and what you do for living. I guess he even asked if you had any next of kin; as in are you married or not. Everyone is wondering how long it'll take before he makes a move since we all know you won't."

"All those questions could easily just be part of my medical records. He was probably asking all those questions because after looking through all my medical history he thinks I'm going to die very soon and wants to know who to contact."

"Please, Bella. If you haven't died yet I don't think you will. You may be accident prone and unlucky in a lot of ways but luck is always on your side when it comes to cheating death."

"He doesn't know that, though."

"Can you just do me a favor and go knock on his door?" she asked.

"Why are you pushing this so much?" I wondered.

"Because... Well... It's like this..." she stuttered and evaded the question. Something was up with her. "Okay, I made a bet with Angela about who would be the first to make a move. She thinks Edward will but I have confidence in you. I guess she's taken up quite a pool from everyone at the hospital who's been watching."

"You made a bet!" I exclaimed loudly. I was mad and hurt she would make a bet about my love life.

"Don't be mad. It was just for fun. But please go talk to him. I want to win this bet and prove her wrong," she begged.

I huffed and hit the back of my head against the seat. "Fine," I agreed. I hung up the phone roughly and got out of the car. Grabbing the food, I headed towards his apartment mustering up all the confidence I could. I stopped at his door and raised my fist ready to knock.

**Thank for reading :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

With a frustrated sigh, I dropped my fist. Nerves got the better of me and in defeat for not having any guts to knock on his door, I banged my forehead against the wall instead. I groaned and closed my eyes while I lost any confidence I might have still had. There was no way I was going to knock on his door. I just couldn't do it. I'd stumble all over and make a fool of myself. He was too good for me anyway. What would he ever see in someone like me? I was fooling myself if I thought there was a chance.

I jerked myself away from the wall and started to take the stairs to my apartment. I would eat my dinner alone like I did most nights.

I was only up a couple steps when I heard his door come flying open and him call out my name. He startled me so much that I lost my footing in the stupid high heels I was wearing and stumbled backwards. I screamed and my hands went flying into the air sending the Chinese food flying as well. Before I hit the cement below me, I felt a pair of strong arms encircle me and hold me up. My eyes were still closed when I felt the Chinese food land all over the top of us.

This was the kind of bad luck I was used to. I should have known something crazy like landing in his arms after falling while food came pouring down on top of us would happen.

"Are you alright?" he asked. I kept my eyes closed and just nodded my head. If I didn't look at him it wasn't real. "Can you look at me so I can be sure?"

Internally I was sulking like a little kid who didn't want to do as they were told. I didn't want to look at him. I didn't want to admit to myself that I just screwed things up even further.

"Bella?" he said in a questioning tone as if he really wondered about my sanity. He probably should.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked into his endearing green eyes. He gave me a crooked smile with a raised eyebrow as if he was with a patient and trying to give me comfort. "Why don't I take you inside and help you get cleaned up," he offered. I started to protest but before I could say two words, he had me lifted into his arms. Instinctively I wrapped my arms around his neck while he carried me into his apartment and shut the door behind us. This was either going to be a good thing or end badly.

**A/N: As requested there will be an EPOV next chapter. We'll see what happens in his apartment through his eyes. ;)**

**Thanks for reading.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**EPOV**  
I carried Bella into my apartment and placed her on my couch. I sat down next to her and just watched her for a moment. She was fascinating to me. After looking over her medical records, I couldn't imagine someone who had so many mishaps was still walking. It was as if she had some sort of super power that prevented her from getting too hurt. She was fascinating in other ways as well, like the way she scrunched up her lips when she was frustrated, or the way her face turned bright red when she was embarrassed, and the way she couldn't bring herself to call me Doctor Cullen because I wasn't _her_ Doctor Cullen. I wanted her to, though. I wanted to be her Doctor Cullen. I wanted to take care of all her ailments and figure her out.

I lifted her feet into my lap and began to examine them. She did just trip and fall. She could have broken her ankle so I had to check it out.

"I didn't get hurt," she said nervously.

I continued to examine her ankles while looking up at her. "Are you sure? Sometimes it doesn't always hurt until you try putting weight on it."

"I'm fine. Really."

"Let me get you a towel then." I got up and dug through a box to find a towel. Once I found one I got it a little wet and brought it back over to her. I started to clean her up myself but she quickly grabbed the towel from me and started to do it herself. I sat back down next to her and watched her try to pull the noodles out of her hair. "Can I help?" I asked reaching over and helping to pull the noodles and rice out of her long, wavy hair. I took a chance and ran my fingers through it a few times while I worked the noodles out. It had been a long time since I'd had the opportunity to spend time with a woman. After the accident I pretty much pushed everyone away. But moving here was supposed to be a new start and so far it hasn't been bad.

"You are aware you have food in your hair too, don't you?" she asked as if I had no idea there was stuff all over me.

I smirked and nodded my head. "I wanted to help you first."

"Like I said, I'm..."

"Fine," I interrupted. "I know. It won't hurt to let someone help you once in a while, will it?"

She sighed and sort of glared at me like she was trying to be intimidating. It didn't work. "I guess not."

"Look, Bella we're both covered in food. It's not like I'm going to think any differently of you just because you have food all over you." I took another chance and pulled another noodle out of her hair before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, letting my fingers linger a little longer than they should have. "I actually kind of like it."

She rolled her eyes at me which caused me to chuckle a little. She tried to be so tough but she really wasn't.

My cat, Mocha, jumped up in Bella's lap and in true Mocha fashion she scratched Bella's arm. Bella screeched and grabbed at her arm.

"Mocha!" I shouted in a stern voice and picked her up to get her off of Bella. I went to get a first aid kit to help Bella and internally thanked Mocha for giving me another chance to help Bella.

I kneeled down in front of her and quickly started to clean the scratch and bandage it up. I could feel her eyes watching me just like she did when she was at the hospital.

"What was it you wanted, Doctor Edward?" she asked.

"Huh?" I said stopping what I was doing and looking up at her.

"You startled me when you called out my name. What did you want?"

"Oh," I chuckled and paused a moment. What was it I wanted? I didn't really want anything. I just happened to see her sitting in her car watching me while she was talking on the phone and I wanted another chance to talk to her. Lucky me, I got my chance and it was even better than I expected. I had to think about it for a moment so I had an excuse to tell her. "I was just going to apologize for earlier; for teasing you about your pajamas. I hope I didn't embarrass you."

"You didn't," she quickly said. The look on her face told me she was lying.

"Well, I'm sorry anyway. And I'm also sorry for startling you and causing you to spill your food." This was the perfect chance to make a move. "Why don't I take you out to dinner to make up for ruining yours?" I offered.

I saw her take in a deep breath and contemplate my offer. For a moment I was sure she was going to accept until our eyes connected. I knew then she was going to say no.

"I don't think it would be a good idea to go anywhere covered in food. I should probably go home to take a shower anyway."

"We can go after both of us get cleaned up."

"I appreciate the offer but I think I've had enough excitement for one day. If I tempt the fates anymore I might end up back in the hospital."

"No you won't. Not when I'm here to take care of you," I joked.

She tried not to smile but she couldn't hold it all back. I liked making her smile. Her smile was even better than the scrunched up lips.

"Come on, have dinner with me," I pleaded further. I had this overwhelming feeling like I needed to be around her. Maybe it was just to protect her from getting hurt or maybe it was something else. Regardless what it was I grew up being told by my mom to listen to me instinct and feelings. I needed to listen to this feeling.

She thought about it a little longer and I could tell she was trying to decide what to do.

"I'll tell you what; go get cleaned up and if you want to go to dinner meet me downstairs in twenty minutes. If not then I guess I'll be going to dinner alone."

She smiled and her eyes lit up. Nodding her head, she agreed. I helped her to her feet and took the high heels away from her to prevent her from falling anymore. I waited at the foot of the stairs and watched as she went up to her apartment. Now I just needed to get cleaned up myself and figure out what I was going to do if she didn't show up.

**Did he meet everyone's expectations? Were questions answered or did it just create more questions? Maybe there will be some answers in the next couple chapters. ;)**

**Thanks for reading**.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

After taking a shower and cleaning up all the food stuck in my hair, my bra, and even in other places I didn't even want to think about how it got there, I sat on my bed wrapped in a towel contemplating what to do. As much as I felt like I needed to stay away from Edward to avoid anymore embarrassment, I felt horrible if I didn't go with him. However, I knew if I went with him I'd just end up humiliating myself even more. I groaned loudly and dropped my face in the palm of my hands. What was I going to do?

I finally decided I'd get dressed as if I was going but I'd wait until I saw him outside. Then I'd decide if I could go through with it or not.

I stood by my window and waited, and waited, and waited. Where was he? I wondered. Was he bailing on me? The fact that he invited me to dinner then didn't even show up irritated me. I'd been stood up enough in my life and I wasn't about to let him get away with it. I wanted to go tell him off. Maybe he wasn't perfect after all. Maybe he was just another jerk like most men.

I headed for my front door to go down to his apartment and find out what was up. I swung my door open and leaning up against the wall with a smirk on his face and a pizza box in hand stood a freshly showered Edward dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. I stopped in my tracks and stared blankly at him.

"I had a feeling you wouldn't show so I decided I'd bring dinner to you," he explained. My mouth dropped open and I let out a shocked sigh. I had to take a minute to let go of the anger I felt and realize he wasn't all that bad. "Are you going to invite me in or would you rather just eat here on your doorstep? I don't care either way."

"Sorry. Come on in." I stood aside and let him through the door. I walked him to the kitchen and grabbed out two plates for the pizza.

"I hope pepperoni is okay. I didn't know what you liked so I went with the basic," he said.

"Pepperoni is fine," I assured. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"What do you have?" he asked.

My stomach was instantly in knots. What do I offer him? Do doctors drink alcohol? Should I offer him a beer or soda? Maybe he's a wine drinker. Do I even own any wine? I looked through my fridge and played it safe by naming off everything I had to drink including milk and water. You never know.

"I'll take a beer," he said kind of chuckling at me.

I grabbed out two coronas from my fridge and walked him over to my couch. We sat down and started to eat the pizza and drink the beer in absolute silence.

Awkward was an understatement.

**Lots of dialogue in the next two or three chapters.**

**Thanks for reading :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

"So," Edward began breaking the awkward silence. "I have to know. Were you planning to come to dinner with me even if I hadn't brought it to you?"

I smiled and diverted my eyes from him. "I was considering it."

"Considering it?" he repeated. He hummed and looked towards the floor. "I was hoping you would have said yes."

"I let you into my apartment. Isn't that enough? You'd have a better chance at killing me alone in my apartment than you would if we were out in public."

"What are you talking about?" he asked laughing.

"You know, in case you're one of those killer doctors and I'm your next victim."

"Killer Doctors?"

"Haven't you ever heard of those doctors who save lives by day and kill at night?" I asked.

He shook his head and stared at me with a raised eyebrow as if I had two heads. He was surely going to run as far away from me after this mess I was getting myself into. Maybe subconsciously I wanted him to run away and that's why I was making a fool of myself at every chance I got.

"I can't say I have," he said. "Is there really such a thing as a doctor who's a killer also?"

"Kevorkian," I reminded.

"That's a little different. He didn't kill in cold blood or anything."

"Well, it's still possible."

"Maybe so, but I prefer to save lives not take them," he assured.

"So you aren't here to kill me?" I asked playfully.

"Do you want me to?" he asked in the most convincing voice I'd ever heard. For a split second I was kind of worried, until he started laughing. "I'm kidding, Bella."

I laughed along and took another gulp of my beer to calm my nerves.

"Did you honestly think I was coming here to kill you?" he wondered.

"Well you don't look like a doctor I've ever known. You're covered in tattoos and you ride a motorcycle. Did you know my dad hates guys who ride motorcycles?"

"Does he?"

"Yeah, he thinks they're crazy for putting their life in danger."

"If you didn't notice, I do wear a helmet," he reminded. "I know it's not the law to wear one here but I myself have seen enough motorcycle accidents to not be stupid."

"My dad still wouldn't like you."

"Well, I guess I'll have to change his opinion then."

"Good luck with that," I teased. He laughed like I was joking. I knew my dad. He wouldn't like that he was riding a motorcycle.

There was silence for a few moments while we finished eating. Suddenly Edward started laughing hysterically. I had no clue what was so funny.

"I can't believe you actually considered the thought that I might kill you," he said still laughing through his words.

I shrugged my shoulders and licked my bottom lip nervously. "It would be just my luck that you ended up being a killer."

"You have an overactive imagination," he teased.

"So I've been told. I guess that's why I'm attempting to write a book."

"You are?" he asked, intrigued. "Can I read it?"

"No," I quickly said.

"Why not?"

"I haven't let anyone read it yet. I'm not finished with it, and I don't think it's very good anyway."

"It can't be that bad. What's it about?" he wondered. I wasn't sure I wanted to tell him. Only Alice knew any of the details.

I took a deep breath and gave him just a little bit of the storyline. "It's about dragons."

"Really?" he said excitedly. "You know I have a thing for dragons. I think they're fascinating."

"I guess that would explain the dragon on your motorcycle and the dragon tattoo on your back."

He smiled as if he was wondering if I noticed and he got his confirmation. "Tell me more about this book. What happens to the dragons? Can they talk or is it about the humans with the dragons? Are there any other mythical creatures involved?"

I bit my bottom lip trying to decide whether I wanted to tell him more or not. The thought of telling him something so personal was scary. In an attempt to avoid the question I picked up our empty plates and brought them to the kitchen. I asked him if he wanted another beer and started to get us both another before he even answered. I handed him the beer and sat back down on the couch next to him. He stared at me while he waited for me to answer but I tried to change the subject instead.

"What's with all the tattoos, anyway?" I asked, touching his arm where a green and black, tribal looking four-leaf clover covered it.

He smirked and looked down at his arms. He seemed proud of his tattoos. "Do you like them?" he asked holding his arms out for me to admire.

I shrugged my shoulders unwilling to give him any clue I did really like them. "I'm just curious. I've never known a doctor with tattoos before."

He laughed and dropped his arms in his lap. "I guess you don't know your Doctor Cullen as well as you think you do then," he said.

"What do you mean? Doctor Cullen has a tattoo?" I asked gasping at the thought.

"He has three actually," he admitted. "He has a Celtic sun on his back, his frat symbol on his ankle, and a tribal symbol on his shoulder."

"How did I not know this? I'm in shock."

"Don't tell him I told you. He doesn't like people to know. He did them when he was still in college and regrets it. He thinks they make him look unprofessional now."

"Do you feel the same way? Do you regret getting them? You have quite a few. I saw the dragon tattoo on your back earlier and the ones on your arms and on your chest."

He gave me a crooked smile as if he knew something. My face heated when I realized I just admitted to watching him earlier.

"Yes, I have a dragon on my back, and no I don't regret any of them."

"How many do you have?" I wondered.

"Nine," he answered with a small chuckle. My eyes widened at the thought of nine tattoos on him. Where were all of them? I wanted to find out.

"Do you want to see them?" he asked as if he was reading my thoughts and knew what I wanted. I glanced up at his face trying hard not to make it obvious I wanted to see them but say yes at the same time. Maybe he'd even take off his shirt again up close and personal.

**Q&A:**

**Q: Could we say the bet is void or tied?**

**A: Tied at the moment but this will be fun for them in later chapters.**

**Q: Does banging her head against the wall be considered as knocking?**

**A: Yes he heard it but he doesn't know it was her head or that she was going to knock. He just thinks it was her making noise going up the stairs.**

**Q: Why is Bella going along with it? {the bet}**

**A: She wanted to go talk to him and get to know him better but she's scared. The bet was sort of her excuse to do it. There will be more talk of this in the next chapter.**

**Q: What accident? How bad?**

**A: If you know my writing there is always some sort of drama/angst aspect. This is it and will be discussed in later chapters. This is what changed Edward and made him move to a small town to be near relatives he barely knows.**

**Thanks for reading :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilght or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

"If you want to show me," I said as nonchalantly as possible. As much as I wanted to see where all these tattoos were I didn't want him to know how excited I was.

He chuckled, took another drink from his beer, and cleared his throat before removing his shirt in one swift move. I gasped and diverted my eyes to the floor. I barely raised my head to get a peek of him with his shirt off. He was even better looking right in front of me than he was when I was watching him earlier. I cleared my throat and raised my head a little bit more. He was watching me with a crooked smile on his face like he found my embarrassment amusing, which ultimately made my embarrassment even worse.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?" he asked. I sucked in a cleansing breath and looked directly at him. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of getting to me.

"I guess I was just a little surprised you were so eager to show me your tattoos. They seem like a very personal thing," I explained.

"Unlike you I'm not afraid to share personal things. I've gotten over that and realized life is too short to be afraid of anything," he said. "Which is why I have this tattoo." He pointed to the words written out in black script lettering along the side of his ribcage.

I turned my head and leaned in a little to read what it said. "Always do what you are afraid to do –Ralph Waldo Emerson." I read the words aloud and thought about them for a moment. I never did anything I was afraid to do. If I did I'd end up hurt in some way, whether it be physically or emotionally. It was safer to play it safe. My eyes rose to Edward's again. He was watching me intently like he was hoping I would understand the meaning.

"What's the ones on your arms?" I asked, changing the subject. He once again held his arms out and admired the tattoos on his arms.

"These are all Celtic symbols," he began, pointing out the one on his left forearm. "This one here is obviously a four-leaf clover meant to bring me luck." He moved his attention to the other forearm where a blue and black symbol with all kinds of twists was. "This one is the Celtic symbol for strength." Next he moved to the biceps. On one bicep he had a wrap around symbol in black bold ink. "This is just a Celtic tribal symbol." He flexed his arm so I could see the full affect of the tattoo around his muscle. I had to bite my lip and take a deep breath to contain myself. With him sitting on my couch with no shirt on and showing me all his tattoos I was having a hard time not attacking him right here. Could he really blame me if I did? But I didn't want to be that girl again. I wasn't going to be used for anyone's sexual gratification and I knew deep down that's exactly what he was trying to do. It was rather obvious. I had to contain myself.

On the other arm was some sort of symbol with three circles that circled into themselves. It kind of reminded me of a crop circle. "This one is a really neat Celtic symbol believed to represent the three stages of man: birth, life, and eternity. My dad had the same tattoo."

When he mentioned his dad I distinctly heard a crack in his voice and a sadness come over him. I quickly looked at his face and could see the pain there clear as day. I wondered what happened but I didn't want to pry unless he was willing to tell me.

"What about the dragon?" I asked, changing the subject for his sake.

He smiled again and turned slightly so I could see the dragon which was black with red highlights on the right upper hand corner of his back. It was rather fascinating and ideas for my book went soaring through my mind. "This is probably one of my favorites. It's a Celtic dragon. I wanted it to be big and take up my entire back but the tattoo artist thought if I made it too big you wouldn't be able to distinguish what it was. I think he was right and I like the size of it now."

I admired the tattoos a little longer and counted them out in my head. He only showed me six and there was one on his chest I could clearly see said mom and dad in two hearts. I didn't think I should ask about that one just yet. The way he acted when he talked about his dad earlier made me nervous to bring up his parents in any way. But where were the other two?

**Thanks for reading :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**A/N: I'm surprised no one asked about the tattoo on his chest and why talking about his dad made him upset. I guess everyone was too excited about the tattoos instead. There won't be any more reveal of the other tattoos until later. It's time for Edward to find out more about Bella...well as much as he can get out of her. ;)**

"You've only showed my six. Where are the others?" I asked.

He smirked and grabbed his shirt off the arm of the couch. "Maybe I should keep the others a mystery for now."

"Why, are they in intimate places you wouldn't want to show anyone?" I asked in a teasing tone.

He laughed and shook his head. "No. Maybe I just want to keep a little bit of mystery since you are still such a mystery to me." I rolled my eyes and huffed while crossing my arms against my chest. Of course he had to bring it up again.

"What do you want to know?" I asked, deciding to give in a little.

"Well, I did just show you six personal parts of me. Why don't you tell me six personal things about yourself?"

Serously? He wanted to know six personal things about me? What personal things could I tell him? I couldn't tell him anything too personal so I tried to think of the basics. "I'm twenty-five, I didn't go to college, I work at the local diner ran by Rose McCarty, or as we like to call her the, The Slave Driver, my best friend since practically birth is Alice Whitlock, I've had so many accidents or close calls in my life that most people wonder how I'm still alive, and my dad is the police chief, but you already knew that I'm sure."

"Actually, I already knew all of those things about you," he pointed out sounding disappointed. "I read your medical chart. I know how old you are and what you do for a living as well as how many times you've been to the ER with something wrong. I have to admit I'm sort of surprised you're still walking with some of the accidents you've had." My eyes narrowed and I let out an irritated breath through my nose. "What I really want to know are things no one knows. Something truly personal."

I thought about it for a moment and wondered what exactly I could tell him. "I don't like broccoli?" I answered but made it sound more like a question than an answer. He shook his head and raised an eyebrow. "What, it's something most people don't know. Not even my parents know. I used to stuff the broccoli in my napkin and throw it away. They never knew." I smiled an innocent smile hoping that would appease him.

"What did you want to be growing up?" he asked. Apparently he was going to ask me questions now instead of waiting for me to give him answers I wasn't going to give.

"A princess, like every little girl," I replied. He laughed.

"What's your most accomplished moment?"

"Having one of my short stories published."

"Could I read that one?" he wondered.

I shrugged my shoulders and smiled. "If you can find the old magazine it was published in," I replied.

"Is it about dragons also?"

"No," I answered.

"What's your most embarrassing moment?"

I had to think about that one for a moment. "There are too many to think of just one." I pulled my knees up to my chest almost in a defensive stance. I didn't like this question.

"Just try to think of one of the worst," he encouraged not letting me out of this question.

I played with a strand of my hair, twirling it with my fingers and looking anywhere but at his face. "Probably my first kiss."

He laughed again. "Your first kiss was your most embarrassing moment? What happened?"

"I was fourteen and this guy I liked finally started to show some interest in me. We were at a movie with a bunch of other friends and he held my hand which I thouexciting the most exciting thing ever. Then he leaned over to kiss me and just as our lips touched I started to sneeze. I sneezed all over to his face and couldn't stop sneezing. It turned out the cologne he doused himself with I was allergic to and being that close to him made me sneeze. He flipped out and never talked to me again."

"Are you allergic to my cologne?" he asked tilting his head up so I could smell him. I found it sweet and leaned in a little closer to smell him. Thankfully whatever he was wearing didn't make me sneeze. I actually really liked the way he smelled and moved in even closer to take in his scent. His scent was not very strong and smelled like a light mixture of spices, soap, and sea breeze.

I noticed his breathing seemed rapid and when I looked up at him he was watching me with a sultry, needy expression. I backed up and smiled shyly hoping for the best but fearing the worst. If he wanted to kiss me I was more than willing but I knew somehow I would screw it up. What if he was just a typical guy who wanted one thing and I didn't mean anything to him? I promised myself I wouldn't let that happen not even for him. "I think you're good. No sneezing this time."

He cleared his throat and chuckled nervously before taking another swig of his beer. "I think maybe I should go. It's getting late and I have to work tomorrow."

"Yeah, I have to work in the morning also," I agreed. "Thank you for dinner. And I'm sorry for spilling food all over you earlier."

"It's not something you need to apologize for, it was only an accident. Besides, it gave me the excuse to get to know you better. I still want to know about this dragon book so hopefully at some point you'll be able to trust me more."

I giggled and shook my head. "I don't know if that will ever happen."

"Well, we did just spend almost two hours together and you didn't have one accident the entire time. That has to mean something. Maybe I'm good luck for you."

For some reason his words were kind of offensive to me. It was as if he was waiting for something to happen to me. Like maybe the only reason he was here was to make fun of me when something did happen. I was just a freak show to him. I actually started to think he was different but maybe not.

**A/N: I know 1 step forward 2 steps back. She's very guarded and doesn't trust people easily. He will break through though, just give it time.**

**Thanks for reading :**)


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

It had been a couple days since I saw Edward. I was sort of avoiding him. I had to work and I was spending a lot of time with Alice or my dad. I just didn't want to see him anymore. It was easier if I didn't get attached. I knew I was already attracted so I couldn't get any deeper. Alice and I went into Seattle over the weekend and spent the day shopping, which wasn't my favorite thing to do but it was nice to get out of town for a while. We also had dinner and then went to a bar to have a few drinks and see a local small-time band. It was the one time where I could be around people who didn't know anything about me or make jokes about my clumsiness. I never danced because if I tried I'd end up flat on my face. All I ever did was have a couple drinks and sit at a table to listen to the music and watch others. Alice and Jasper got up and danced to the live music a few times which made me happy when watching them together. They were the perfect couple.

The following week was spent working and trying to get any overtime I could. I only wanted to be home to sleep.

I told Alice and Rose goodbye after a long shift at the restaurant and headed home in my little car. I had the radio blaring to an old eighties power ballad, and I was singing along at the top of my lungs when I suddenly heard a loud pop and my car jerked to the side. I grabbed the wheel as tight as possible while I guided my car to the curb. I had adrenaline rushing through me from fear. I was able to pull over successfully without going in the ditch or flipping my car. I turned off the music and the engine before letting out a huge sigh of relief. Once I had caught my breath and the adrenaline slowed, I got out of my car to find out what happened. I was pretty sure I either hit something or I had a flat tire. I walked around my car and sure enough the front tire on the passenger side of the car was flat. Great!

I ran my fingers through my hair and tried to remember what I was supposed to do. My dad had taught me how to change a tire years ago when I first got my license. Now I just needed to remember how to do it.

I went to my trunk and pulled out the spare tire as well as this bar thing. I sat there and stared at them for a moment and realized I was missing a very vital piece. I didn't have a jack. How was I supposed to change a tire without a jack? I searched my trunk hoping it was just shoved in some corner somewhere but there was nothing. This was even worse.

"Just my luck!" I shouted out loud while kicking the flat tire with my foot. I started to walk toward the car door to find my cell phone when I heard that familiar roar of Edward's motorcycle that I hear every time he comes home. I closed my eyes and turned my head away in an attempt to disappear, which didn't work; it never worked. I heard the engine of his motorcycle slow as he ascended upon me. I sighed and turned my head towards him when he stopped alongside the road.

"Hi, Bella. Are you okay?" he asked while removing the helmet off his head. I could barely make his face out in the dark but I could see his green scrubs still on him when he got closer.

"It's nothing. I just have a flat tire. I can handle it," I assured.

"Do you want some help?" he offered.

"No, I can't find the jack so I'm just going to call my dad or Alice to come pick me up. Don't worry about it."

"I can give you a ride," he suggested. "I mean, I'm already here and we're going to the same spot. It doesn't make any sense to call your dad or Alice to come out here."

"You also drive a motorcycle which I'm forbidden to ride," I reminded.

"Are you suddenly twelve years old?" he joked laughing at what he said. "Bella, you're an adult you can't be forbidden from doing something."

"It's my dad. He would kill me if he knew."

"How is he going to find out?"

I sighed and looked back and forth between the motorcycle and my car. It wasn't that much farther to my apartment and he did make a good point that we were going to the same place. I bit my lip and nodded my head in agreement. He smirked and began to walk back to his motorcycle while I grabbed my stuff and locked up my car. I walked over to him and he handed me his helmet. I secured it to my head and climbed on the back of his bike. I was scared to death because I'd never been on a motorcycle of any kind. I didn't know what to expect. Once I was safely in place behind him he started up the engine. The roar vibrated my entire body and sent chills running through me. There was a lump of fear in my throat. I was beyond nervous.

"You'll need to hold on tightly," he said grabbing my hands and wrapping them around his waist. His hand held mine to his stomach for a moment longer than necessary before he released my hand and started to move the bike. At first I squealed and hid my face in his shoulder but after the first initial scare I actually liked it. I liked the feel of the wind on my face and the sensation of almost flying. It was very exhilarating.

"This is so much fun," I shouted into his ear which made him speed up a little more.

He turned his head to look back at me for just a moment and smiled proudly. "Can I take you somewhere?" he asked. I knew it was a bad idea and I should tell him to take me home but I couldn't help the way I felt riding on the motorcycle with him, so I nodded my head. Instead of continuing on the road we would take home, he turned off and headed for the main highway. Once we were on the highway he sped up even more and took each corner with such ease. It was such a rush to be flying through the air like we were. I was giggling and screaming with excitement at every turn gripping onto his waist tighter and tighter. I could feel him laughing at me occasionally but it was a good laugh like he was happy I was having fun not like he was making fun of me.

He sped up even more and that's when I suddenly heard the sirens behind us. I heard Edward cuss under his breath while he slowed down and pulled over. All I kept thinking is please don't let that be my dad. If it's not, I can hide my face and he won't ever have to know. I closed my eyes and turned my head away, lying against Edward's shoulder.

"Doctor Cullen, is there a reason you're going so fast?"

Of course it had to be my dad. My heart sank and I prayed he didn't ask me to turn around.

"I'm sorry, Chief Swan. I guess I didn't realize I was going so fast," Edward explained. I felt his hand slide across mine in a protective manner. I think he knew if my dad saw it was me with him we'd both be in trouble.

"It's even more dangerous to be going so fast when you have a passenger with you. I'm not a fan of motorcycles and I'd rather keep our newest doctor around for a while."

"Yes, Sir, I understand. I promise it won't happen again," he assured.

"Who is it you have with you anyway?" my dad wondered. "Miss, can you look this way?" I tried to pretend like I didn't hear him but he asked me again and I begrudgingly turned my head. The shocked and angry expression on my dad's face was proof enough I was in big trouble. If he could he'd probably lock me up for life.

**Thanks for reading :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

"Hi, Daddy," I said as sweetly as I could. Maybe my innocence would soften the blow.

"Bella!" he shouted. "What the hell do you think you're doing? I've taught you better than this."

I sighed and pulled myself off the motorcycle. Edward adjusted himself so I could. "Dad, I had a flat tire. Edward was giving me a ride home. Don't flip out."

I could see Dad's nostrils flaring and his cheeks turning red even in the dark. I hadn't seen him this mad in a long time. "You're going the wrong way to be going home. Don't lie to me, Bella."

"Chief Swan, I'm sorry. It's my fault. I asked Bella to go with me," Edward defended.

My dad grumbled and began to write out a ticket for Edward.

"Dad, please don't punish him just because I was with him," I begged.

"Bella, go get in my car," he demanded sternly. Even though I was an adult and fully aware he had no right to tell me to go to his car like I was a child, I still felt like I had to. He's my dad. What was I supposed to do?

I slowly walked to the cruiser and got in while I listened to him give Edward a lecture about going slow and following the rules of the road. The worst part was when dad said if he ever had his daughter with him again he needed to be extra careful because of my special circumstances. I felt like crying. Why did he have to make it sound like I was a freak?

My father started walking back towards the car and Edward started up his motorcycle again. He put his helmet on and took off without even looking back. If I wasn't scaring him off on my own I was pretty sure my father had just finished the job. Tears welled in my eyes when he got in the car.

"I'm not twelve, Dad. You can't treat me like I'm a little kid who you can still tell what to do. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is when you bring up my problems?" I shouted. I already had tears streaming down my face but now I was blubbering all over. "You completely humiliated me." He remained silent while he drove towards my house. I sat in the back seat sniffling all the way home. He pulled into the parking lot of my apartment and shut off the car. Instead of opening the car door for me, he just sat there. I hit my hand against the door trying to hint to him that I wanted out.

"Bella, do you like this guy?" He asked. I didn't know how to answer him. I did but I didn't want to. "I'm sorry for embarrassing you. I was just shocked you would get on the back of a motorcycle. I've warned you for so long and now suddenly some new guy comes to town and you're doing things I never thought I would ever see you doing? This is all new for me. I'm only worried about your safety. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I'll be fine, Dad. You just need to let me live my life and stop worrying so much about me. I can take care of myself."

"Can you just promise me one thing?" he asked. I could tell whatever it was he was going to say was difficult for him. "If you ever get on his motorcycle again wear a helmet and maybe even full body padding. But most importantly make sure he goes the speed limit. That bike is designed to go fast; faster than any posted speed limits anywhere. If you're with him he needs to follow the law regardless of how much he might be trying to impress you."0

"I doubt he'll be trying to impress me anytime soon, not that he even was," I said still sounding a little angry.

"Oh, believe me, he was trying to impress you," my dad informed. "I wouldn't even be surprised if he intentionally made sure you would have a flat tire."

I rolled my eyes and snorted. I thought he was a little crazy. How would he know anyway? "Can I get out now?" I asked.

My dad got out and helped me out of the car. He pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly for quite a long time. I wasn't uncomfortable but a little confused by it. I felt like he was hugging me goodbye. I hoped he didn't think just because I rode on Edward's motorcycle once meant I was going to be doing it a lot. I doubted Edward would even talk to me after this disaster.

"Dad, can you do me a favor?" I asked as he pulled away and held me out in front of him at arm's length. "Can you drop the ticket you gave Edward? He didn't do anything wrong other than have your daughter with him."

He chuckled and let go of me completely. "He actually did do something wrong. He was speeding quite a bit. But, I'll make an exception this one time if you promise me you'll be good with him."

"I promise."

"And just so you know this is a onetime deal. If I catch him speeding again I will have to give him a ticket. I don't care if you're with him or not. But I better not catch him speeding with you."

"You won't. I did promise," I assured.

I gave him one last hug and watched as he drove away. I knew my dad worried about me more than he should, but sometimes I wished he would just let me make my own mistakes and live my own life. He needed to let me go.

As I began to walk up the stairs to my apartment, I heard the familiar sound of Edward's motorcycle coming up the road. I felt like hiding from him to avoid any more embarrassment, but at the same time felt like I needed to apologize for my dad. Do I talk to him or not?

**Thanks for reading :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I'm back! I had to take a couple days to recover from being sick. Five of us are sick at the moment and I'm doing everything possible to prevent anyone else getting sick. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

I had to talk to him. I ran down the stairs and met him in the parking lot. When he saw me he came rushing over to me as well.

"I'm so sorry, Edward," I cried.

"No," he began shaking his head and putting his hands up to stop me. "It was my fault. You don't have anything to be sorry for. I should be the one who's sorry."

"No, it was my fault. I know my dad and how he reacts. I should have just called him."

"I should have gone straight home instead of taking you on a joy ride. It was my fault," he insisted.

Neither of us was getting anywhere. We both blamed ourselves and weren't going to let the other take the blame. We sort of stared at each other for a moment before we both busted out laughing. He ran his fingers through his hair as if he was embarrassed.

"I guess we should agree to disagree," I said laughing at how ridiculous we both sounded.

"I really am sorry, though," he said sincerely. "Was your dad mad at you?"

"No, he was just worried and I think a little bit shocked. He did say he was going to drop the ticket. But he also said he better not catch you speeding anymore especially if I'm with you," I explained.

He got a sly smile on his face and darted his eyes towards me. "Does that mean there might be another time you'll go for a ride with me?"

I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and tried not to smile. Inside I was screaming yes, yes, yes. I loved the sensation I got from riding on his motorcycle. But I couldn't look too eager. "Maybe," I answered.

"Have you eaten dinner yet?" he asked randomly.

"No," I answered hesitantly.

He smiled hugely like he was suddenly so excited about something. "Why don't you eat with me then," he offered.

"I don't know if that would be such a good idea. We did just get in trouble for riding on your motorcycle. Do we really want to chance getting in trouble a second time in one night? I am Miss Bad Luck here."

He laughed and walked over to his motorcycle and gathered up his helmet and backpack off his bike. "I didn't mean going anywhere," he clarified. "I can make us something." He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards his apartment.

"You know how to cook?" I asked while we walked towards his door.

He laughed again and nodded his head. "I'm actually a rather good cook, or so I've been told."

"Told by who?" I wondered thinking he'd probably been told that by every woman he'd ever slept with. Of course they would say he was a good cook if they got to share his bed.

He turned the key and opened the door pulling me inside with him before answering. "By my mom."

His mom? She's probably the one who taught him how to cook. After hearing that, I had a feeling he was probably very close with his mom. Maybe he was a little bit of a momma's boy. It had to be hard on him being away from his parents all the way out here in the middle of nowhere. I couldn't imagine being away from my dad. I got used to not having my mom but I've always been a daddy's girl. I wouldn't be able to go one day without at least talking to him on the phone. That was probably why Edward got choked up when he mentioned his dad having the same tattoo and why there is a tattoo on his chest representing them.

"What are you planning to make?" I asked a little curious what he had in mind.

"Well, what would you like?" he asked.

I giggled. "I don't care. Whatever you make is fine."

"I'm going to go change before I get started. Make yourself comfortable."

"Actually, I think I might go change as well," I said realizing I was still in my work clothes. He nodded his head in understanding before heading towards his bathroom. I slipped out of his front door and ran up to my own apartment to take a quick shower.

**They're getting closer. Thanks for reading. :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

By the time I arrived back at his apartment, he already had something cooking which smelled wonderful. I couldn't wait to find out what it was. I sat down at a small table while I watched him cut up some vegetables for a salad. In the pot on the stove I could see sauce and noodles simmering. My stomach grumbled from the aroma of garlic and herbs filling the air.

"I hope you're hungry," he said almost proudly. "I made enough for an army."

"I'm starving."

He dished up two plates and placed mine in front of me before sitting down across from me. There were two wine glasses in the middle of the table along with a bottle of wine sitting in a bucket of ice. Before we started to eat he poured us both a glass of the wine. He had a strange look on his face as if he had something to say but couldn't. I started to wonder if I had forgotten to put on a shirt or maybe I still had my towel wrapped around my head.

"What are you smiling about?" I asked unwilling to sit and wonder any longer.

His eyes quickly shot up to mine as if he had just been caught red handed. "Nothing. I'm just thinking about how our first date was in your apartment after a mishap and our second date is now in my apartment after a mishap. We should really get out more." He laughed and stuck his fork in his spaghetti.

"I'm not sure if I'd call either of these a date. More like me messing something up and you trying to fix it."

"I would have to disagree. I actually enjoy spending time with you, and I always look forward to the next time you might mess something up and I need to fix it," he joked.

His joke wasn't bad but in a way it did kind of hurt my feelings. I didn't want to be known as the girl who messed everything up. That's how everyone had always looked at me. My head dropped and I slowly took a bite of the pasta. One bite and I knew I couldn't take another. I had to choke that one bite down so I didn't have to spit it out and look like a spaz. I focused on eating my salad and just pushed the pasta around on my plate. I remained silent as did Edward.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked breaking the silence.

I shook my head and forced a smile, pretending like everything was fine. "I think maybe I'm just getting tired."

"Are you sure?" he asked pressuring me even further to tell him what was wrong.

I decided to just blurt it out. What was it going to hurt now? "Remember the other night when you wanted to know something personal about me?" I began. He nodded his head and dropped his fork to give me his full attention. "I have always been clumsy and unlucky and pretty much the butt of everyone's jokes. Anytime I'm around people who know me well they act as if they're waiting for me to mess something up so they can laugh at me or make a joke about it. I know I'm the town idiot. But with you, you're new to the area and even after a couple days you are already watching and waiting for me to mess up again. It's just hard getting used to being made fun of."

I heard him gasp and suddenly he was at my side with a chair pulled up close to me. "I _never_ meant to hurt you, Bella." He reached for my hands and pulled me towards him so I would look directly at him. "I'm the fool, not you. I should learn to keep my mouth shut. I'm sorry."

I shook my head and smiled trying to play it off as nothing. "I'll get used to you too. You don't need to be sorry."

"Yes I do need to be sorry," he insisted. "God, I'm such an idiot. Here I am making jokes thinking it'll be a good way to break the ice and make you comfortable around me but in reality it's making you upset and probably making you feel more uncomfortable." He shook his head and smacked his forehead while mumbling something under his breath.

I laughed and leaned in a little closer to him to try and make him understand I wasn't going to hold it against him. He leaned in closer to me as well and looked directly at me with these puppy dog eyes. "Can you forgive me?" he asked. I smiled and nodded my head. Who wouldn't forgive that face on him?

I felt his fingers touch my cheek and brush along my cheekbone before resting behind my ear. I lifted my head slightly to look at him and saw his intense eyes almost staring straight through me. He licked his lips and moved in closer while I remained completely still. My heart was beating so fast and I was breaking out in a sweat. His face became blurry just as his lips touched mine. The tingles I felt against my lips when his touched mine told me I was in big trouble. Edward slowly kissed my lips with soft, simple kisses. I wished so desperately I could feel him kiss me. Why did this have to happen to me now?

I placed my hand on his chest and moved a few inches away. He stared at me strangely probably noticing the reaction I was having.

"Edward, I need to go to the hospital," I said through labored breaths.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"You made seafood pasta and I'm allergic to shell fish."

**My husband reads this story and after he read this chapter he shook his head and asked if I hated Bella. On the contrary, she's may favorite character, which is why I like this story so much. I like writing this Bella and coming up with new ways for her bad luck. Since I sort of based Bella's character on Martin Short's character in Pure Luck I had to have an allergic reaction scene. I think that's my favorite scene from the movie. Next two chapters will be in EPOV and I think you will all like them.**

**Thanks for reading :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**EPOV**

And she had the epinephrine?" I asked Bella's nurse, Jane while jotting a few things down on Bella's chart.

"Yes, Doctor," Jane answered. "I put in her IV as well and gave her a dose of Benadryl like you requested. She is doing much better now, Doctor Cullen." The way she told me she was doing better made it rather obvious she knew how concerned I was. It was no secret everyone at the hospital was wondering when I was going to make a move on Bella. There were even bets about who would make the first move and how long it would take. I guess they could all see the connection between us. Little did they know, I'd already attempted a move, a few times actually, but every time backfired. I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of "winning" though so I tried to remain as professional as possible and not let on what happened. When I brought her in all puffy with red blotches all over her face and struggling to breathe I tried to make it sound like I found her like this.

I continued writing on her chart and tried to hide my emotions. I was a doctor; it's what I was supposed to do. I wasn't supposed to get worked up over a patient. But Bella was different. She wasn't just a patient; she was someone I cared about. I hadn't cared about anyone, not even myself, for so long and now it felt like every emotion was running through me with such force. She did things to me that I didn't even know was possible.

"Thank you, Jane. I'll take a look at her and let you know if there is anything else I need."

"Yes, Doctor." Jane walked away and left me alone outside of Bella's door. I waited just a few seconds more for all the onlookers who were trying to be so discrete yet failing miserably. Once I finished writing nothing of importance in Bella's chart I walked into her room as professional as possible.

She was sleeping. The swelling of her lips had gone down and only a few red splotches remained on her face. Her breath was still a little labored but her vitals looked good. Thank goodness it was only a minor reaction. I was still kicking myself for missing that detail on her medical file. I could have killed her. I wished she would have told me she was allergic to shell fish.

I walked over to the edge of her bed, checked the bag of fluids and her IV, and then I lifted her hand into mine to check her pulse. She stirred and turned her head towards me while slowly opening her eyes. I smiled down at her and gently rubbed my thumb across the inside of her hand. "How do you feel?" I asked still trying to remain professional.

She groaned and pushed the hair off her forehead. "I feel humiliated."

"Bella…" I didn't know what else to say, so I just said her name in a disagreeing tone and shook my head.

"Did you call my dad?" she wondered.

"No, would you like me to?" I asked.

"No!" she said almost shouting. "I don't want him to know I'm here again."

"I'm so sorry, Bella. You should have told me you were allergic to shell fish," I apologized.

"I know I should have told you. I didn't think about it until it was too late. I'm sorry."

I chuckled and sat down next to her on the stool. "We really need to stop apologizing to each other."

"I'm afraid it's something that will happen a lot when you're around me."

"Why do you blame yourself? I'm the one who's messed up, not you. I scared you and almost made you fall to your death, I'm the one who was speeding on a motorcycle with you on the back, and now I fed you something you were allergic to, which came very close to killing you again. I don't think you're the one with the bad luck, I'm pretty sure I am."

She laughed which made me happy. She must not be that bad if she's able to laugh at my stupidity. "When can I get out of here?" she asked changing the subject.

"In the morning," I answered. "I'm going to have you stay overnight for monitoring."

"That long?" she whined. "Can't I just go home and you can monitor me there?"

I smiled crookedly at the thought. This might be a really good idea.

**Thanks for reading :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

**EPOV**

I pulled my car into the parking lot of our apartment building and turned off the engine. I very rarely drove my car unless I had to. I much preferred my Ducati and the fresh air than a stuffy car. But since Bella was having an allergic reaction when I took her to the hospital, I couldn't exactly have her ride on my bike.

I took Bella up on her suggestion and released her from the hospital under my care. I wasn't even supposed to be at the hospital so it made sense for her to be with me. I insisted she stay at my apartment for the night and she agreed. I walked her up to the door and helped her to the couch. As quickly and thoroughly as possible, I cleaned up the seafood pasta so there were no traces of it anywhere. I wasn't about to risk another allergic reaction. When I was done, I got Bella a glass of water and sat down on the couch next to her. She had her knees pulled to her chest and her head rested on the arm of couch.

"Can I get you anything?" I asked. She shook her head and sipped her water. I felt like I needed to do something. "Do you want to go to bed? Are you tired? I can take you to the bedroom if you want."

"I can sleep on the couch. I don't want to take your bed."

"Don't be ridiculous!" I exclaimed. "I'm not about to let you sleep on the couch. I will take the couch."

I helped her to her feet and guided the way to my bedroom. I almost hated leaving her in my bedroom alone but I didn't want to be rude. She laid down and pulled the blankets up to her chin.

"If you need anything just call for me," I offered. I patted her hand but before I went to leave she grabbed my hand and held me there for a moment. I sat down next to her on the bed and waited. I wondered if maybe she didn't want to be left alone or maybe she wanted to say something. Whatever it was I wanted to be there for her.

"Why did you kiss me earlier?" she asked. My stomach filled with knots. Why did I kiss her? I thought it was rather obvious. Did she not want me to kiss her? I wasn't used to this playing hard to get or the uncertainty of what to expect. In any other circumstance I would have given up long ago, but with Bella I couldn't bring myself to stop. I'd never experienced a connection to someone like I did with her. Every moment with her just made me want to be with her more.

I shrugged my shoulders and diverted my eyes away from hers. "I guess it just felt like that right moment. I think I was wrong, though," I joked.

She laughed and nodded her head in agreement. "I couldn't even feel it. My lips were numb from the allergic reaction."

"Are your lips still numb?" I wondered.

"Nope," she said. "I have a wonderful doctor who heals all my ailments."

I laughed under my breath and felt of a sense of pride. "I think you need to get some sleep."

She sat up and suddenly her lips were on mine.

**Thanks for reading :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

I kissed him. What was I thinking? I don't do stuff like this especially with someone like him. I just barely touched his lips and I was already trying to pull away. Edward wouldn't let me, though. He cradled my face with the palm of his hand while his other hand held the back of my head. I let him take over the kiss and just enjoyed his soft, plump lips against mine. I heard him lightly moan during the kiss, which made me think he was enjoying it. I didn't know how he would react afterwards or even what this meant but I didn't want to go another minute wondering how it felt to kiss him.

When I pulled away and laid back against the pillow, I looked up at his stunned face for just a moment. My eyes darted all around the room noticing how bare everything was. He didn't have anything on the walls and even his closet was rather empty. He did have quite a collection of books still in boxes in the corner of his room. I noticed a large shelf in his living room earlier that held quite a few books already. Why did he need so many books?

Since he was so quiet for so long, my eyes shot back towards his just so I could read his expression. He had a smirk on his face while he sat there and watched me. "You kissed me this time," he pointed out.

I shrugged my shoulders and played with a loose string on the comforter. "I just wanted to know what it felt like. You know, since I didn't really feel it earlier."

"And?" he asked obviously asking if I liked kissing him. Who wouldn't like kissing him? A better question would be what did he think about kissing me? I didn't have as much experience as I was sure he did. I smiled shyly up at him but didn't say anything.

Edward sighed as if he was pleased with himself and took my hand in his. "Well, I enjoyed both kisses and would very much enjoy doing it again."

"You would?" I asked feeling giddy inside. Earlier I was trying to avoid him, and now I was actually considering spending more time with him. What had gotten into me?

He nodded his head and rubbed his thumb against my knuckles. "But after you get some sleep." He stood up and gave me a kiss on my forehead, which I found adorable for him to do. I liked being in the care of Doctor Edward. He was a wonderful doctor in so many ways. I wanted him to be my doctor all the time.

He tried to let go of my hand but I wouldn't let him. I didn't want to be alone. "I'm not really that tired. Will you stay and keep me company for a while?" I asked. "You still have a few tattoos to show me."

He grinned again and climbed up on the bed with me. "And you still have a story about dragons to tell me about."

"Oh that," I complained slinking down into the covers.

He propped himself up on a couple pillows and got himself comfortable next to me. "Yeah that."

**Thanks for reading :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Sorry for the very long delay. I have struggled with working out a routine with all nine kids now that seven of them are back in school. We are starting to get back in a good routine though. Good news is we were officially certified as the kids' foster parents this last Thursday so they will be staying with us until either one of their parents gets their acts together. I'm just so glad the kids are safe and get to stay with people they know. Anyway, I will try not to let that long of a break in between updates happen again. I know everyone is probably upset with the wait.**

**Other news, in case you didn't already know, my good friend MCGT and I started a fanfiction awards last year called ****The Emerging Swan Awards****. Voting for WIP and Complete as well as Oldie But Goodie Author awards is currently underway. I'm even up for an award lol. There is a link on my profile or you can google it. Please check it out and vote for your favorite stories/authors. There is only a few more days left for voting. Some of the votes are very close.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

At first, Edward and I just had basic chit-chat about work, different people we knew, and the weather of all things. We were expected to have some rain hit us during the Fourth of July celebration coming up, which wasn't much of a shock to anyone who lived here but to Edward it was unusual. He wasn't looking forward to the rain.

After a while he did start asking about the book I was writing, but I still wasn't ready to tell him everything. So I told him a little about my main character.

"My main character is a young girl named Mazie who has a difficult life. She's socially awkward and doesn't fit in at high school or anywhere really; not even at home. She doesn't realize her abilities until she finds the dragon's lair during a walk through the woods. At first she's terrified and so stunned by seeing these creatures who are supposed to be myths that she can't move. That's when the dragons turn back into humans. They are all kids she recognizes from school who she's always been very intimated by. But when they greet her they aren't mean or mad at her. They welcome her like they've been waiting for her to come. She discovers she's really a shape shifter like them. She's sort of the leader of the group but she doesn't even know it. The other kids teach her everything she needs to know and train her on how to use her abilities."

"Go on. What happens? Why does she need to be a shape shifter? What's the purpose of the dragons?" he prodded.

I rolled my eyes and huffed a little in protest. He seemed so intrigued and it intimidated me a little. I'd never told anyone, apart from Alice, about the story. "You aren't going to let this go, are you?"

"No," he said shaking his head and grinning.

I looked away and shrugged my shoulders a little. I honestly didn't know where the story would go from there. I had ideas and came up with new scenarios every day, but nothing ever seemed right. That was part of the problem and why I hadn't finished writing the story.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I haven't gotten much further than that."

"You should have a rebel who rides a motorcycle and has tattoos all over be the villain. Then your main character, Mazie, can fall in love with him, which obviously causes a problem with the other shape shifters," he suggested.

"So turn it into a romance?" I asked.

He smirked and tilted his head a little. "Isn't it going to be?" he wondered as if he expected it to be a romance novel. "Isn't that what girls do, write romance?"

"I'm not that great at writing romance since I don't have a lot of experience on the subject. I like sticking to adventure and fantasy stories."

"Haven't you ever heard the saying sex sells?" he commented. "Write a naughty little story with adventure and fantasy themes and you'll have a best seller."

"It's not that easy," I complained.

"Well what do you plan to do with it?" he questioned. "I think you have a great start. I really want to read what you have but I want to know where you plan to take the story next."

"I'm open to suggestions." I gave him a flirty smile hoping he would move on to a new subject. I wasn't expecting him to start giving me facts about dragons and ideas on what should happen next. I'd never known anyone as knowledgeable on dragons as he was. He knew things I'd never discovered with all of my research. All night long I laid there on Edward's bed and let every single detail play out in my head. I wanted to rush to my computer and start writing. Unfortunately I couldn't without looking rude. I made plans to go home to my computer as soon as he woke up in the morning and left for work.

While Edward slept, his cat jumped up on the bed and curled up in between us. I kept my distance since it was obvious she was definitely staking her claim on Edward. Even in his sleep he curled up with his cat and petted her while she purred in his ear. The cat definitely didn't like me much since I'm pretty sure she glared at me a few times and hissed when I got too close to Edward. I rolled over away from both of them and attempted to sleep a little before I had to wake up and face Edward again.

**Thanks for reading. Don't forget to go vote in the Emerging Swan Awards. :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I loved reading all your stories and opinions on Edward's cat. His cat will have an important significance later on in the story. I'm not sure she will ever accept Bella though lol. As for the story Bella is writing, that took me a while to figure out. Like Bella, I had all kinds of ideas but nothing sounded right. Someone suggested writing it as another fanfiction and who knows, maybe I will someday but not anytime soon. I did write a story about dragons last year for a contest and actually won 1st place as well as $100. That story was an original story and I plan to post it on my blog eventually if anyone is interested in reading it. It's a somewhat PG rated story, though. I'll let anyone interested know when I put it up on my blog.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

In the morning, I woke up to a light touch to my cheek. I turned slightly towards the touch and found Edward leaning over me and giving me a gentle kiss. "Good morning," he said.

I groaned realizing staying up all night while going over scenarios in my head was not the greatest idea. I was still exhausted after my allergic reaction and sleepless night.

"I need to go into the hospital for a while," he informed. I started to stretch and try my best to wake up. "You don't need to get up. You're welcome to stay as long as you like."

"Okay," I whispered while curling back up in the sheets and pulling the blankets up to my chin. I heard Edward chuckle and felt him kiss my cheek again.

"I'll see you later."

When I woke up later in the day, my only thought was to get to my computer. I had enough rest and wanted to get out all the thoughts circulating inside my head. I looked around Edward's apartment and realized he still wasn't back. I slipped out of his door and ran upstairs. At the top of my steps was Alice banging on my door and calling my name. I slowed as I came upon her. All I could think was how am I going to explain my way out of this?

"Where the hell have you been?" she shouted when she finally saw me coming up the stairs.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong other than my best friend disappeared for a night and most of the next day. I was seriously starting to think something happened to you," she scolded. I opened my front door and walked into my apartment with Alice right on my heels. "I heard you were in the hospital last night and I've been trying to call you all day to make sure you were okay. I was really worried about you."

"I'm sorry. I must have left my cell phone here." I searched around and found my phone sitting on the kitchen counter. I picked it up and waved it around to show Alice I truly had forgotten it. I quickly moved to my computer and turned it on ignoring Alice as much as I could.

"Where were you last night?" Alice asked pulling up a chair next to me. "Your car was still in the parking lot so you couldn't have gone far."

"I was at Edward's apartment," I answered nonchalantly.

"What?" she screeched.

"It's not a big deal. He didn't want me to be alone after my allergic reaction so I either had to stay in the hospital or go home with him." I opened up the document on my computer and skimmed what I'd written so far to remember where I had left off and where I should begin again.

"Well wasn't that convenient," she teased. I rolled my eyes and turned towards her for a moment. She had a huge grin on her face like she was pleased with what had happened. "So…" she began dragging the word out as if she was waiting for me to elaborate. "What happened?"

"Nothing," I answered truthfully. "We talked, he kept an eye on me, he slept, I daydreamed, he went to work, and then I slept. Now I'm home and very busy."

I turned back to my computer and suddenly the words started pouring out of my fingers. I couldn't type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts. I could feel Alice over my shoulder watching and reading what I was typing but I didn't care.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm writing."

"Your story?" she asked in a shocked tone.

"Uh huh," I answered barely acknowledging her.

She paused for moment and remained silent while I continued to type. "What has gotten into you?"

"Edward gave me some great ideas and some very useful information last night while we were talking. I had so many new ideas run through my mind last night. I couldn't wait to get home to start working on it again."

"Edward gave you some great ideas?" she asked with a skeptical tone.

I stopped typing and looked up at her. "Yeah, he did. Why did you say it like that?"

"I guess I don't see him as being someone who wants to sit around and talk about dragons all night. That's really all you did?" she asked.

I smiled and contemplated whether I should tell her about the kiss. I was going to but something made me decide to keep it to myself for now. I didn't want yet another thing for people to gossip about. "Honestly, Alice, that's all we did. We sat in his bed and talked about dragons."

"What other kind of ideas did he give you?" she wondered.

"I'm adding a new character. This character has tattoos and rides a motorcycle. He's sort of a rebel," I explained. At first I was against the suggestion Edward had given me but after thinking about it I realized how much sense it made.

"This character is based on Edward isn't it?" she asked smirking at me.

I could feel my face turning red from the accusation. She was right but Edward was the one who suggested it. "In a way. He does ride a motorcycle and have tattoos. Which reminds me, Edward was supposed to tell me about his other tattoos and he never did. I'll have to ask him about those."

"His tattoos? He showed you his tattoos?" she asked getting even more excited with every word I said.

"A few days ago when we had dinner together he showed me some of them. There's a couple he hasn't told me about yet."

"Wait!" she exclaimed shaking her head and holding up her hands. "You had dinner together? When? Why haven't you told me any of this?"

I turned back to my computer and took a deep breath before typing once again. "It wasn't a big deal. I was actually trying to forget about it."

"Why?" she squealed.

"Alice, it doesn't mean anything. Edward and I are… friends, I guess? Neighbors? Acquaintances? There's nothing more."

"For now," she said as if she knew some secret she wasn't going to reveal. I shook my head and went back to writing, ignoring anything else she said. Eventually she left and I was able to focus solely on my story. I wrote all day long and was so enthralled in what I was doing I didn't think or do anything else. Night had fallen and only the light from my computer screen filled the room. I barely noticed the darkness though. All I thought about was the story. I didn't stop until I felt someone come up behind me and rub my shoulders. I screamed and jumped out of my chair. Edward stood before me with his hands up in defense like he was afraid I was going to attack him.

**Thanks for reading. Don't forget to vote in the Emerging Swan Awards. :)**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I love reading everyone's reactions to what happens with these two. We are getting close to some good stuff. ;)**

**Important message about the Emerging Swan Awards: I noticed there was quite a jump in votes over the last few days. While I appreciate everyone's enthusiasm with voting, I do want everyone to know that you are only allowed to vote once. We do monitor IP addresses and I am aware when someone votes numerous times. Unfortunately, all those votes will not count. I do truly appreciate and am humbled by some of you going above and beyond to vote, but please remember to follow the rules.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

"I swear, I'm not here to kill you," he said chuckling at his own joke.

I grabbed my chest and let out a long sigh to calm my nerves. "What are you doing? How did you get in here?"

"I hadn't heard from you all day and when I got home you were gone. I did knock but you must not have heard me. Your door was unlocked and I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine. I was writing. I guess I got caught up in it and lost track of time."

"Have you been writing all day?" he asked. I nodded my head and picked up the chair I had knocked over. "Have you eaten anything?"

"I don't think I've done anything but write. Well, that and talk to Alice for a few minutes."

"Alice…" he repeated dragging out the name. "She's the friend you had with you at the hospital the first time we met, right?"

"Yes. She's my best friend and we work at the diner together." The diner. "Oh shit! What time is it?" I asked franticly. Before he could even answer I was already rushing towards me front door.

"It's a little after nine. Why? What's wrong?" he asked following after me.

"Shit!" I repeated. "I was supposed to be at work an hour ago." I grabbed my phone realizing I had over a dozen missed calls from Alice. My phone was set on silent and I didn't hear a thing all evening. I shoved my phone in my bag and quickly put my shoes on.

"I'll take you," Edward offered as we left my apartment and headed down towards the parking lot.

"No, it's fine. I can drive myself."

"I can get you there a lot faster than if you drive your car. Besides, you still only have your spare tire on and that's not very safe. I promise I won't go that fast. I'll keep you safe." He held out his helmet towards me and as much as I knew I shouldn't, I gave in to temptation. I followed him out to his motorcycle and got on behind him. I wrapped my arms around his waist while Edward started up the motor and headed out on the road. I kept praying my dad wouldn't catch us this time. I was already late for work so it didn't really matter how fast or slow Edward went, but I did notice he did his best to stay within the speed limit. Regardless, I knew I was either going to be in serious trouble or I was going to be fired.

Moments later Edward pulled into the diner parking lot and before he could even turn off the engine I was off the bike and running for the door. I quickly removed the helmet from my head and rushed into the back so I could put my apron on and start working.

"Where the hell have you been?" Alice asked.

"I know, I'm sorry. I got distracted and lost track of time. Where's Rose? Is she mad?" I asked.

"I covered for you but she's not happy. Lucky for you we weren't that busy tonight," Alice explained. "She went home for the night but she's going to want to talk to you tomorrow. You better not be late tomorrow especially since it's a long shift."

"I won't, I promise."

I started doing my normal routine but quickly realized there was nothing to be done. There were only a couple tables with people sitting at them and they had already been helped by Alice. All the tables and counters had been wiped down, coffee was made, and everything else was in order. Alice had taken care of everything.

I sort of stood there dumbfounded on what to do when moments later Edward walked through the doors. "Looks like you have a visitor," Alice said. "I noticed you had his helmet. Were you with him? Is that why you were late?"

"No!" She smirked and cocked her eyebrow like she didn't buy my story. I shook my head and gave her a warning look like she needed to keep her mouth shut before he overheard her. I remembered I still had his helmet and ran back to kitchen to grab it for him. I was sure he just wanted to grab it and get going. He'd been working at the hospital all day so he was probably tired.

He sat down at the counter and looked around. Alice walked over to him and asked if she could get him anything. "I think I'll have a cup of coffee."

She walked towards the coffeepot with a smile on her face and winked at me out of the corner of her eye. I walked over to Edward and handed him his helmet while thanking him for the ride. He nodded politely and proceeded to grab a menu. "What's good here?" he asked with a grin on his face.

**Thanks for reading. If you haven't yet, please vote in the Emerging Swan Awards and please remember to only vote once. :)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

"Are you planning to stay?" I asked a little caught off guard.

"Well why not. I do need to wait around so I can give you a ride home, don't I?"

"No," I protested, shaking my head. "You can't possibly sit here for the next three hours and wait around for me."

"How else are you going to get home?" he asked with a smile on his face. He had a good point, but I started to wonder if he planned this.

"I can always get a ride from Alice," I reminded.

"What about me?" Alice asked walking back over and placing a cup of coffee in front of Edward.

"Bella will need a ride after work and I'm offering to wait around for her but she's rejecting me in favor of you," Edward explained.

"I'm not giving you a ride," Alice said. I glared at her a little and clenched my teeth together. "I had to cover for you with Rose. I'm not doing you any more favors tonight. Besides, I'd like to see my husband for a change." Alice walked away and went to fill up the coffee cups of the few customers we had, leaving me alone with Edward.

"See," Edward said. "You need me to stick around so accept it."

"I just didn't want you to go out of your way for me."

He sipped his coffee and smiled up at me. "I'm not. Besides, there's something I want to do after you get off."

My eyes narrowed at him while he just smirked and looked over his menu. "What is it you want to do?"

"You'll see," he said. "What's the special for today?" He changed the subject and took another sip of his coffee.

"The lobster macaroni and cheese," I answered.

He looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. "Aren't you allergic to shell fish?" he asked.

"I don't eat it. I just serve it," I answered. "The customers seem to like it so it must be good."

He placed his menu on the counter. "Lobster macaroni and cheese won't do, so I think I'll stick to a burger and fries."

I smiled and wrote his order down on the slip of paper before taking it back to the cook. When I came back Alice was by Edward and they were laughing about something. I walked over to find out what they were talking about that was so funny.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Don't worry, we aren't talking about you," Alice assured. "I was just telling Edward about my husband and how they should meet sometime, and then Edward informed me they already met at the hospital. Apparently, Jasper fell and landed on his ass while trying to slide down the pole at the firehouse and had to go to the ER to make sure he was okay." They laughed again and I couldn't help but giggle a little as well. Jasper prided himself on being the best firefighter in the area. The thought of him falling on the pole was a little funny. "This would explain why he's been home longer than usual and acting hurt. He never told me anything about it."

There was silence between us for a moment before Alice had to open her mouth again. "So, I have to ask since Bella won't tell me. Which one of you made the first move and how serious are you two? Bella did say she stayed at your house but is that really all that happened?" She raised an eyebrow like she was questioning my story and wanted Edward to tell her the truth.

I coughed from the shock and embarrassment of the question. I glanced over at Edward who took another sip of his coffee and smiled politely at Alice. He looked so calm as if the question didn't bother him like it did me. I wondered if he'd tell her about us kissing. I didn't want to read too much into a simple kiss and a night spent talking in his bed but I was beginning to think there was a possibility for a lot more.

"I'm not really sure what you're talking about, Alice. Bella was at my apartment as a patient. I was only watching over her to make sure she didn't have any other side effects from the allergic reaction," he answered.

"That's really all that happened?" she asked looking disappointed like she was hoping for juicy details.

"Yes, that's all."

"But who made the first move?" she asked digging for more.

Edward looked at me and scrunched his eyebrows together like he was trying to think very hard. "I don't think either of us made a move. There was no move to be made."

"But wait," Alice said sounding as if she was confused. "Aren't you two getting serious? You've been spending a lot of time together and I can tell you both like each other. What's the problem? Are you both too shy to take it to the next level?"

"Alice, stay out of it," I pleaded.

"I'm just trying to help," she said defensively.

"I think we handle it on our own," Edward added.

She huffed in frustration but conceded to what we said. I went back to the kitchen to get Edward's food while Alice went to clear a table of the customers who just left. I was thankful Edward didn't say anything to Alice about us kissing or anything else that has happened between us. But at the same time I felt a little uneasy about him hiding it also. What if that's all it was to him? What if what was going on between us wasn't anything like I was beginning to think it was? Every day I spent with Edward made me like him even more. I thought he liked me too. He didn't want anyone to know what happened, not even my best friend. Was he using me like every other guy? The only guy who ever meant anything to me used me and continues to use me when it's convenient for him. Now Edward was acting the same way. I wasn't going to let this guy use me though.

I placed his food in front of him and asked if there was anything else he needed.

"Not yet," he answered with a sly smile on his face. His tone and the look on his face discouraged me even more. He really was only using me.

**I'm sure everyone wants to smack Bella right about now, but I promise it'll get better next chapter. Bella just needs to see/feel Edward's intentions not keep guessing. But even still she's going to be cautious.**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: The updates will be a little slower for a few days. Our entire house is sick with a nasty cough/cold. My 6y/o suffers from asthma so this cold turned into pneumonia for him. It's been a rough couple of days for all of us. I'll do my best to keep the updates coming as quickly as I can.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the characters. No copyright infringement intended.**

During the night I went about my work like usual. I caught Edward watching me quite a bit throughout the night but I tried not to care. Alice kept pestering me for details into what was going on between Edward and I, especially since he drove me to work and was sticking around to take me home. I tried to talk Alice into driving me home but she wouldn't. I just felt like I couldn't trust myself around Edward. Anytime I was with him it was as if he had some magical power over me. He could convince me of anything and make me do things I'd never dream of doing before; like riding on a motorcycle.

"Can I get you anything else?" I asked Edward after he finished his food.

"I'll take a piece of that berry pie now," he said with a huge grin. I walked away refusing to respond to his smile and using all the willpower I had to not let him influence me. I got his pie and placed it in front of him without any other comments. Afterwards, I walked over to a table and started clearing it off. I could feel Edward's eyes on me while I worked.

The minutes flew by during those three hours and before I knew it I was getting ready to close up and leave. Edward was waiting outside for me while Alice and I along with the cook finished up the last few things.

Alice pulled me aside and asked me what was wrong so I explained what I was thinking. She laughed at me and told me I was totally over thinking everything. I didn't think so but I planned to find out. Alice told me to give Edward a chance to prove himself and to stop comparing everything he did to other guys. She seemed to have all the faith in the world in him.

Alice and I walked out together and as we hugged goodbye she reminded me not to be so uptight. I nodded my head and took a deep breath before heading over to where Edward was parked. He had a concerned look on his face and was leaning against his bike with his helmet in his hand. I stopped in front of him but neither of us said a word at first. He held the helmet out to me but I didn't take it right away.

"Before we go," he began leaning away from his motorcycle and taking a step towards me. On instinct, I took a step back unwilling to let him get too close. "Did I do something wrong?" The expression on his face looked hurt. I couldn't trust my own voice so I just shrugged my shoulders and looked at the ground. "I hope this isn't about what I told Alice. Because if it is, you should know there's a bet going around the hospital wondering how long it'll take before we get together, and which one of us will make the first move. I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of thinking she won something because of us. This whole bet thing kind of pisses me off. I've pretty much kept anything between us completely on a professional level where others are involved."

"But that's what sort of bothered me," I blurted before I could even think about what I was saying. Edward's eyes narrowed like he was trying to understand what I meant. "I get that the people who made this bet don't deserve to know anything, but I don't even know what's going on between us. I get the feeling you want to hide me. Because of past experiences that worries me a little. I don't want to be the girl on the side you use when it's convenient for you but no one ever knows about." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. I assumed he was trying to find the right words but I didn't wait around for him to say anything before I continued. "Maybe I'm reading too much into what has happened lately. Maybe it didn't mean anything. I just want to be sure I'm not being used for…" Before I could finish, Edward's lips were on mine in a passionate and fiery kiss. The power of the kiss blew me away. I'd never been kissed so forcefully and emotionally. I could feel every emotion he was emanating in that kiss.

He rested his forehead against mine and cradled my face in his hands while we caught our breath. "Bella, I'm going to be completely honest with you," he began. I stared into his bold, green eyes and could see the sincerity in them. "I'm not entirely sure what's going on between us either. I want something more but every time I think it's going in the right direction you pull away again. I've been trying to take things slow with you but if you want me to back off I will. Otherwise, I want to make this right. I don't want to hide my feelings for you. I want more."

"You do?" I asked still a little out of breath.

He smiled and gave me a peck on the lips. "Yes, I do."

"Okay," I said. I felt like an idiot for saying something so simple but I was so caught off guard by what he said I didn't know how to respond.

He chuckled and kissed my forehead before putting the helmet on my head. "I want to take you somewhere." He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards his motorcycle. I'd follow him anywhere.

**Thanks for reading :)**


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